


Colorful Flowers

by Salyquin



Category: Sally Face (Video Games)
Genre: ;), Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Drug Use, Eventual Smut, Fluff, Homophobia, Homophobic Language, How Do I Tag, Language, M/M, No one dies (I think), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Build, artist!Larry, florist!Sal, no ghosts, present day
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-16
Updated: 2019-07-15
Packaged: 2019-11-19 04:25:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 16,793
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18130931
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Salyquin/pseuds/Salyquin
Summary: Sal works at his late mother's floral shop, following his unbreakable daily work routine until one day, he meets someone more colorful than any of the flowers in his shop.





	1. Red Roses

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This is based off a Sally Face cosplay I did for a ComicCon, and I decided to write a fic about it! I am brand new to writing fanfiction, so I apologize for being quite sucky at it. Anyways, I hope you enjoy!  
> (OH, and I'm really sorry that this was super rushed. I'm not good at writing first chapters, so I tend to mush a bunch of ideas into a super small chapter. I promise it won't be this jumpy in future chapters, I was on a little time limit.)

_ “Tears falling down at the party, saddest little baby in the room...” _

 

The bluenette hummed along to the song playing softly in his baby blue sedan, the beginnings of spring finally rolling around after a rather brutal winter in Nockfell. His prosthetic was strapped securely to his face, making his vision more limited than usual- with his whole missing eye and all- though throughout his life he had gotten used to that. However, it also helped for when he did make mistakes on his route to work. Once a potential road rager got close enough to yell through the car window, they’d catch sight of the mask and proceed on in slightly creeped confusion. Not that he minded, saved him time from being late.

 

_ “Fears! Tell me fears! Don’t get me started. I get a little grey hair for every scare you share-” _

 

With a twist of his keys, the car’s loud engine shut off along with the radio. He leaned his head back against the chair’s headrest for a moment, taking in a deep sigh before he climbed out of his old car. Strands of hair fell over his mask, most likely loose from the pigtails he kept his blue locks in, as he walked into the white wooden floral shop. It had been his mother’s before she passed from the same tragic accident that took away his face, ‘ _ Diane’s Floral Emporium _ ’.  The boy quickly scooped up a pastel green apron, sliding it on with his name tag pinned on his left breast.

_ Sal Fisher _

Most of his frequent customers like to call him Sally Face, such as the little girl who stopped by everyday after school to admire his flowers and he’d offer her a daisy or lilac during her visits. Speaking of which-

 

“Sally Face!” The small purple haired girl came tumbling in, backpack bouncing on her back as she skipped her way over to her much older friend, “You’re back!”

 

Sal smiled under the mask, though the way his eyes formed into crescent shapes let the girl know he was happy to see her. “Hey, Megan! Had to close down the shop for winter, it’s tough getting shipments in with all the snow- even harder if the flowers will end up dying anyways,” He chuckled and walked out from behind the counter he stood at. He knelt down to Megan’s height, the toothy grin she shot at him was enough to warm his heart for the next winter. Sal looked off to the side at some purple bellflowers, reaching out and brushing his fingers against the veiny petals, “How about this one? It matches your hair.”  Megan leaned in and sniffed the flowers before letting out an audible, “Hmm…” as she tapped her finger against her chin, lip curled in as she thought for a moment. With a little smile, she nodded while bouncing on her heels, “I like it! Mommy will love these too!” She said enthusiastically. With a light nod, he carefully harvested the small cluster of bellflowers and placed them in a ceramic pot before handing it over to the small girl. With an excited giggle, Megan clutched the pot and stood on her tiptoes to give Sal a little peck on the cheek, “Thank you! See you tomorrow, Sally Face!” She called out as she made her way for the door, a soft ding sounding as the door hit the bell that hung above it before he heard it close. 

 

Sal stayed knelt for a little while longer before heaving himself onto his feet and returning to his spot behind the counter when all of the sudden he felt a pair of purple-sleeved arms wrap around him from behind. He gasped sharply in surprise before huffing, “Ash! You’re going to give me a literal heart-attack someday if you keep doing that.”  The brunette giggled as she turned Sal around to face him properly, “You’re an absolute dork. I swear, every day Megan comes by it seems like you’re about to donate our entire supply to her.” She punched his shoulder lightly as she joined him behind the counter, grabbing a blue spray bottle before departing off to mist the flowers. The boy blushed, “I’m not a dork, shut up.” Ashley shot back a reply that Sal couldn’t hear, so he shrugged it off and leaned over the counter, elbows propped up with his hands holding his head. 

 

Time ticked on, customers came and went, scooping up flowers, bouquets, or even tiny little potted cacti and a fly trap or two. Morning became noon, noon became evening, and soon the street lamps were lit. Ash and Sal chatted most of the time, catching up on each others daily lives or working on college studies whenever the line of customers was free. Just as the clock chimed, signaling the end of their shift, the soft ding from the door’s bell rang out. With a wide grin, Ash turned to the man at the door, “You’re late, idiot."  There stood a tall man, a wild mane of brown hair that fell down his back, framing his face in a way Sal couldn’t explain. He had his dumb smile, showing off a slight tooth gap in his front teeth and a mole under his right eye. The man strode over, arms out, exposing a band shirt that was wrecked in different colors of paint- His pants suffered the same colorful fate. Ashley lightly hopped over and embraced the taller man in a friendly hug, “Honestly, you were supposed to arrive half an hour ago. Don’t tell me-”

 

“Yeah, I ran into Travis again at the coffee shop,” His voice was a bit husky, most likely from exhaustion based on the sleepy bags under his eyes. Despite his tired expression, the man still wore a contagious smile. His tee shirt allowed the bluenette to to see defined biceps, most likely from working on massive art projects. Sal blinked slowly and awkwardly cleared his throat before giving the two a small wave, “Hi?’

 

“Oh!” Ashley let go of the Spaniard, “Sal! This is Larry, I told you I invited a friend earlier, remember?” When Sal shook his head, she sighed, “This morning?"  So  _ that’s _ what she said. Sal blushed lightly under his mask for not asking about it earlier in the day, “Ah. Well- Uh, it’s nice to meet you, Larry. I’m Sal.” Larry nodded at the shorter boy, “Sal- Nice. Dig the mask by the way, heh.” Ash’s face fell a bit as Sal’s gaze seemed to darken up.

 

“It’s a prosthetic.”

 

Larry’s expression morphed into an apologetic one meshed with embarrassment, “Shit! Sorry! I didn’t mean-”

 

“No, nah, it’s fine. Don’t worry, I get it all the time,” Sal reassured his new acquaintance, a smile forming on his scarred lips from behind the mask. His awkwardness seemed to fade as Larry gave a smile of his own. The girl standing between the two men crossed her arms, “Well, what are we waiting for? We heading out for dinner or what?”

 

“Dinner?” Sal questioned Ash, walking over to stand beside her as he disrobed his green apron, hanging it on a hook by the door. Larry seemed just as confused, a brow raised as his hands slipped into his jeans’ pockets, “Isn’t it a bit too late for dinner? It’s like, 9:30-”

 

“And? It’s a Friday night and the fresh start of Spring! I think that calls for a little celebration!” The girl in the purple shirt hung up her own apron, opening the door, “There’s a friend of mine named Rob, he owns a business and throws parties before every weekend. I think you’d guys like him, same taste in music and all.” That seemed to grab Larry’s interest, “Same music taste?” He smirked as he looked over at Sal, “I know I barely know you, but you don’t exactly seem like the kind of guy who listens to Sanity’s Fall.”  Sal huffed in mock offense, “Just because I'm a florist in pigtails doesn’t mean I'm obligated to listen to soft pop songs or whatever,” His blue eye flickered playfully, “is that what your shirt says?” It was an easy guess now that the other man brought up the band, though at first glance it looked like a normal brown tee shirt, made to be drenched in paint. Larry looked down at his shirt, “Oh, yeah! SF- Sorry, it’s all covered in paint. Heheh, but yeah, I'm a hardcore fan-”

 

“Oh my GOD, guys, can you stop obsessing over your devil music for a minute? We’re gonna be late!” Ashley groaned as she pushed past the door, two laughing boys trailing after her. After light debate, they packed into Ashley’s small car, forced to listen to Shawn Mendes on the ten minute ride to Robert’s for a partiful dinner. 

 


	2. Orange Orchids

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sal and Larry bond over some grass.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AH-  
> I'm so sorry this took much longer than I expected. I ended up changing a bunch of stuff in this chapter than how I first planned it out. Hopefully the next chapter won't take as long, but no promises! SAT is coming up for me

     Sal wasn’t exactly sure how he ended up high off his ass and dancing to Rihanna. 

 

     To be honest, he didn’t know how he ended up with a black eye either.

 

     It all started when the dim flash of neon lights started to come into view as Ash pulled off the main road. Nockfell didn’t have much nightly light pollution in the first place, so the patterns of greens, blues, and reds appearing in the sky over the tree line stuck out like a sore thumb. The car bumped along the dirt path, thinned out so that only a single car could drive pass one at a time. Sal noticed a shift in the rear view mirror, noticing the male brunette in the back seat rub his hands anxiously as his nose pressed against the window. He couldn’t blame him, the way the trees surrounded them as they drove on felt claustrophobic and definitely sketchy. That’s when the thumping of a bass could be heard- or rather felt.

 

     It was good riddance that this Robert guy chose a place to host a party so deep in the woods of Wendigo Lake. If it had been hosted anywhere else in Nockfell, the police department would have been getting distressed noise complaints from an entire block. The car vibrated lightly as they approached where the modernized cabin was, colored lights flickering from the otherwise dark rooms through the windows. The song was now distinguishable from just random  _ BOOM BOOM BOOM _ ing, to which Sal realized was a classic Red Hot Chili Peppers song. 

 

     “Ooh, ah, guess you never meant it. Ooh, ah- Standing in line to see the show tonight, and there's a light on… Heavy glow…” It was barely audible, but Sal could make out Larry’s voice singing along to himself as Ashley pulled up on the grass with a dozen other cars. Ash hopped out of her car just as she yanked the key out of the ignition, closing her door and running her long fingers through her short hair. Sal and Larry soon followed suit, albeit more cautiously and with less enthusiasm. Of course they digged a good party, so it’s not like they were complaining. By the time Sal remembered how to use his legs, Ashley was nearly halfway up the dirt driveway with Larry a few feet behind, glancing back at the bluenette. With a sharp inhale, he kicked off into a light jog, catching up with Larry since it would be weird to go right past him and over to Ash- not to mention a bit rude. He paced himself to match Larry’s long strides all the way to the front door which was hanging wide open. Helping themselves in, Sal squinted and briefly lifted his hand as a party light shown in his direction.

 

     Shiny bits of confetti were floating around in the room silhouettes of dancing teens and young adults swayed along to the beat. A few giant blow-up balls were being bounced around amongst the crowded living room, which seemed to thin out near the halls and kitchen that were occupied by awkward underaged teenagers with red plastic cups, either standing perfectly still or bouncing slightly on their feet. Sal’s face burned red as he realized just how many people were already here, although the number of cars outside begged to differ. He shuffled his way to the sides beside the bar, feeling a wave of regret hit him as he lost sight of Ash. He saw movement out of the corner of his eye, a large brown blurred blob. He turned to see the figure properly, feeling a bit less anxious as he saw the familiar face.

 

     Larry gave the shorter man a lopsided grin, “You look like you’ve never been partying, dude.” Sal hummed in acknowledgment, “Not that far from the truth. I don’t really like parties,”  _ ‘because of the monstrosity behind this mask,’  _ he added mentally. The brunette cocked his head curiously, long strands of hair moving off his shoulder as he did so as well as some getting in his face. He took a quick glance around before pointing his thumb behind him, “Well for starters-” Larry reached out and grabbed two cans of Bud Light, “we need to get drunk first.”

 

     Sal’s eyes widened slightly and he held up a hand, waving it side to side, “No- I- No, sorry, I-I don’t-” He cleared his throat and lowered his hands, eyes cast downwards as if he could just shrink away, “I don’t drink.” Larry raised a bushy brow before shrugging with a nod, “That’s cool. More for me then,” he replied as he cracked open one of the cans. Sal could only guess that he’d be the only sober one of the trio by the time the party ended, so he sighed and slid down against the wall. Hearing a loud thump, he could hear Larry sipping at the beer in the spot next to him, the taller man’s knees tucked up against his chest. He couldn’t help but to smile as the taller man’s lanky body folded into itself like one of those foldable walking sticks, all bent up in a ‘Z’ shape. 

 

     Sal’s own position was slouched over with his legs criss-cross apple sauced. His index finger drew slow circles around his knee, keeping him grounded with the eruption of chaos that was the party. A blue eye looked over at the brunette besides him, clearing his throat, “So, Larry? Um, wh- what do you do?”

 

     Larry lowered his can that he was clutching close to his chest, “Me? Ah, nothin’ much. I do murals n’ shit, commissions from around town, sometimes in other cities,” He raised the can to his lips once more, mumbling against the aluminum rim, “other than that I study at Nockfell Community College, aiming for an art degree or somethin’.” Sal nodded slowly as he watched the man take a sip before proceeding, “Whaddah ‘bout you, flower boy? You studyin’?”

 

     It took the smaller man a moment to process the question before he shrugged sharply, tensed up from just the party overall, “Mhm, yes, I study at the university. I’m not really sure what I want to do yet, i’m barely keeping up with bills and trying to maintain a flower shop at the same time.” His voice was soft, low as if he didn’t want any evesdroppers to listen in on their conversation. Or maybe he was just nervous.

 

     “Music.”

 

     “Pardon?”

 

     “A music degree,” Larry hummed, licking his lips as he crushed his empty can and frisbee tossed it in the overflowing tile of trash accumulating in large black plastic garbage bag in the corner of the room. “Ash told me a lil’ bit ‘bout you before I came. Uh, never mentioned the prosthetic, but she told me you were into guitar. You look pretty metal too, dude,” Larry chuckled, flashing Sal a half-grin. Sal’s face went red under his mask, averting his eyes to his hand on his knee, “That… That doesn’t sound too bad, to be honest,” He felt a small smile grow on his scarred lips, really needing a bathroom break to freshen up from wearing a mask almost all day. He pushed murmured under his breath anxiously, “Gotta piss,” before pushing himself onto his feet, worming his way through the crowd of people grinding on each others sweaty bodies. 

 

     “ _ A lonely life where no one understands you, _ ”

 

     Sal pressed his hands against the bathroom door, one of them sliding down to twist the knob. He paused for a moment before pushing the door open. As soon as he heard the door click, he turned the lock and leaned across the sink, hair draped over his mask. He shakily reached a hand up, feeling the mask loosen as he unbuckled the bottom strap. Admittedly, he felt normal with a group of people for once, with no one having called him out for his mask and what not. They probably assumed it was rave gear. Now, here he stood, left hand resting on the clip of the top strap buckle. With a click, the mask slipped off and toppled into the sink. His face was marbled with scars, more so on his right side where his glassy eye shimmered under the dim bathroom light. Trembling hands reached up, holding his cheeks as his right hand felt over the large gash that exposed a little bit of teeth and gums. His left hand’s fingers brushed over where nearly half of his nose was seemingly torn off, then down to his quivering lips, bumpy with scars. Before Sal even realized, he was breathing heavily. Swift, sharp inhales followed by shaky exhales before his left eye began to burn with tears. He collapsed on the floor, kicking himself back into the wall as he tucked his knees in, arms crossed over them so he could hide his face. His pathetic face. Was it even a face? Sal detested the moments where he’d let himself forget what he looked like, only to face the disappointment when he took off that mask. 

 

     Then there was a knock. 

  
  


     “ _ But don't give up because the music do. _ ”

 

     “Aye, Sally, you good in there? Did you fall in the toilet or something?” Larry’s voice called out, muffled from the door as well as ‘Twisted Transistor’ by Korn rocking outside Sal’s little sobbing space on the bathroom floor. He bit his lip and held his breath, a sleeve rubbing into his eye to cease the waterfall of tears that roamed their way down the maze of scars on his face. 

 

     “Sorry! I was uh-” Sal let himself breathe before continuing, “got carried away. Saw something on my phone, looked interesting. Cat videos.” He heard a spurt of gentle laughter, “That’s a big mood, man. You done in there though? Cause I need uh- All the other bathrooms are ocupado and I really, REALLY, need to-”

 

     Sal smashed his mask onto his face, holding it in place as he unlocked the door and nearly knocked Larry out by opening the door. “Shit! I’m so sorry, I didn’t know you were standing so close…”

 

     The brunette seemed dazed for a second before he gave Sal a grin, “No problem dude. Hey I uh- I know you don’t drink but by any chance…” Larry reached into his pocket and fished out a small bag with fuzzy moss-like material in it, speckled with tiny white dots. Sal stared idiotically at the bag for a moment before it all clicked in his head, “Oh! Ohh… Oh.” He gave Larry a curious look before the taller man spoke, “I just- I mean I noticed your eyes look pretty red. Figured you might want some more.”

 

     Sal was a bit thankful Larry assumed he smoked the fancy grass. Then again, he wasn’t a stranger to it either, having tried it once or twice on his own time. Being a florist had its unusual perks sometimes. The bluenette looked out at the dancing crowds before he nodded, stepping back into the bathroom, giving Larry some space to join him.

 

     “Did those boys just go into the bathroom together? Tee hee hee…~” A female voice questioned to no one in particular from outside the door. Sal rolled his eyes in silent response, turning the lock. His pigtails wacked him in the face from how fast he turned around, hearing the crinkle of plastic as Larry tried to poke a straw into the side of an empty water bottle. Upon further inspection, Sal noticed that Larry had come equipped with everything to make a makeshift bong from a water bottle right in the pocket of his red jacket. He leaned against the wall, watching as Larry added some water into the bottle before taking a large pinch of the drug and plopped it in the little cap that served as a bowl. 

 

     The brunette scooped a decorated lighter into one calloused hand, thumb sparking the flame once... twice... three times before it ignited. He held the light to the drug for just a moment as smoke filled the bottle. Sal was entranced by the whole process, reaching up to unbuckle the bottom strap of his mask. He paused just as Larry puffed a cloud of smoke into the clear bathroom air and decided to wait until the room clouded up some more, just to be safe in case his mask slipped- Unlikely, but there was no way Sal was willing to risk scaring off his new friend. Thankfully, Sal didn’t have to wait long. The air fogged up more and more, clogging his lungs from the bitter smell that he’d soon adjust to. Larry had begun to do smoke tricks with the help of the slight gap in his teeth, though it mostly consisted of rings.

 

     Once Sal deemed the room cloudy enough, he undid the bottom strap and made a ‘give’ gesture at Larry for the homemade bong. It took the taller man a moment to make out just what Sal was gesturing to, before he huffed a soft, “Oh,” and handed the bong over. It was warm from smoke and the large hands that held the bottle previously, just like the air around them. A sweet sauna, or a misty greenhouse. Sal tilted his mask up slightly, just enough to take in a long draw. He pulled back and coughed a few times, smoke spewing out before he quickly lowered his mask, smoke flowing out of it’s orifices as he let out a shaky exhale. 

 

     “Dude,” Larry murmured and Sal could barely make out blown out pupils from the man in front of him, “dude that looks HELLA rad. The whole-- smoke mask thing. It’s like kinda creepy but so…” Larry Spaniard looked at his hands as if asking them to help him word it out, “awesome.” If it weren’t for his sweet, genuine smile, Sal would’ve thought Larry was just being a bit pitiful. He felt a small laugh bubble in his throat, “That’s… I’m glad you think it’s cool. I’ve never really smoked with my mask on. Hadn’t smoked with anyone until now.” Even if it was only once or twice.

 

     It was like that for who knows how long. Passing the plastic bong back and forth until the cap melted and it was getting harder and harder to breathe in the room. They were both starving and Sal had greened out, currently hunched over the toilet bowl with Larry holding a pigtail in each hand to keep it out of the way. The bluenette panted softly as he reached a hand up, flushing the toilet before securing his mask all the way back onto his face. He pushed himself onto his feat, “Sorry… I’ve never been that good at handling weed.” 

 

“Don’t be sorry, I get like that sometimes too, heheh,” Larry admitted, rubbing the back of his neck as he dumped the water in the sink before crumpling the bottle and disposing it into the trash. The bag of weed was stored safely in the artist’s pocket. Sal began to giggle, hands scrambling to open the door. Smoke poured out of the bathroom as if it was an old-schooled horror movie about to reveal its terrifying monster. He hobbled out with a light skip in his step, pigtails bouncing with the movement. He looked back at Larry with reddened eyes, contrasting harshly to his single blue eye. The older male didn’t seem to notice that one of his eyes were fake, being way too out of it to even care.

 

With a sharp and sudden laugh, the florist found himself being sucked into the mass of people. He kept his eyes on Larry who followed him in, mimicking the voice coming from the speakers, “When the clouds come, we gone~ We Roc-A-Fellas- We fly higher than weather-” He said with a little chuckle, head swinging in wide motions, brown waves flowing in the air. It was hypnotic to watch. He giggled uncontrollably as Sal began to sway his hips in time to the beat, a surge of confidence bubbling in his throat, “You have my heart, n’ we’ll never be worlds apart-” 

 

And then it hit him.

 


	3. Yellow Yarrow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sal get's beat.  
> Stuff gets emotional, maybe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit short, but I didn't want to drag this one out with nonsense and I felt the end was a good place to just stop the chapter. Currently planning Chapter Four!

That ‘it’ just so happened to be a man Larry had mentioned much earlier in the day.

 

_ ‘Shit, what was his name…? Tyson? Trent?’  _ Sal felt as if he was moving in slow motion. The first thing he noticed was how dark it suddenly got. His head hurt for a second followed by intense throbbing and heat, like a headache but worse. The short man felt his left cheek burn near the boney area from the impact of his mask colliding too hard into his face from whatever force that hit him. It was still dark.

 

Until Sal’s body opened his eyes for him. Was he falling?

 

    “Unmph-” Sal grunted as he fell onto the ground, his forearms managing to catch him before he completely crumbled to the floor. He groaned and blinked slowly, eyes adjusting to the bright flashing lights in the room, making his ache hurt even more. He felt both more  _ and _ less aware of his surroundings at the same time and his head was spinning. 

 

“...w...at…th…...f...ck….an…?” A distant voice said, muffled by the intense ringing in Sal’s brain. The bluenette tried to blink away the dark spots that danced in his vision, pupil growing and shrinking as the occasional light shone directly into his face. His hands felt cluttered with small objects, absentmindedly looking down at them to see them caked with glitter as well as his clothes. The pain of having to wash it all off later hurt a bit more than the pain in his head. Sal’s attention shop up to a sudden blur of pink and yellow crashing down onto the floor. In his dazed state, Sal looked up to see a fuming, yet still stoned, Larry. His muscled arms came back down to his sides after having shoved this mystery man hard enough to slam the poor boy onto the ground.  

 

“Shouldn’t you be at home preaching your anti-gay shit on the internet, Travis?”

 

‘ _ Travis.’ _

 

    Larry barked with such venom that it nearly scared Sal. The taller man had seemed pretty soft in personality, at least in his perspective. The Spaniard was borderline snarling. “Fuck off, Laurence,” The blonde scoffed, managing to stand up much quicker than Sal and tugging on his sleeves, plucking bits of sparkles and glitter off them, “You should have more respect to others around you. No one wants to see your gay ass shit around here.”

 

_     ‘Ouch,’ _ Sal thought, mentally wincing at Travis’ words. He was homoromantic himself, having started when Ashley dragged Sal along to make fake profiles on Tinder to see who’d rack up the most matches. Sal, of course not really sure of his own romantic preferences at the time, hoped he’d match up with Ashley onto to realize that he had started to get more excited over the male matches than female ones. For a while he had thought he was biromantic or even panromantic, however over a long period of time, it became crystal clear that Sal had a hard attraction to men. As for sexuality? The bluenette knew for a fact he was demisexual for reasons that can be quite obvious- Though that was a story for another time.

 

Anecdote aside- Sal’s head started to de-fog as he exhaled a breath he didn’t know he was holding, a faint wave of lightheadedness coming back towards him. After a brief pause, he pressed his pale hand against Larry’s arm in a reassuring manner, “Hey, dude, it’s fine. You can’t let it get to you-”

 

    “Well it’s too fucking late, I let it get to me!” The raise in Larry’s voice gathered the minimal attention of a few gazes from the sidelines who weren’t halfway-to-Hell drunk already. Sal felt his ears burn heat up from the scene unfolding before him, “I think we should go.”

 

    “No, this guy should go.”

 

    “What?!”

 

    “Leave us alone-”

 

    “Larry,” A familiar brunette pushed her way through the packed crowd of people, “What’s up, I heard yelling. I-” Ash’s gaze landed hard on Travis, who was rubbing his new shoulder bruise with his other hand. With a heavy half grunt, half sigh, she pointed a finger at Travis, mouth opening as if to speak only for it to close back shut. With an amused yet sarcastic huff, the pink-wearing man turned on his heel with the words, “Fucking faggots” dripping from his tongue as he stomped off. Ash’s eyes burned into the back of Travis’ head all the way until he was out of sight.

 

    With a slight rub of her lips, Ashley looked down at Sal and cupped his masked face into her gentle hands, “Sally, are you okay? You look-”

 

    “Ash, I’m fine. He just pushed me, that’s all,” The bluenette said, dipping back away from Ash. He didn’t like being treated like a porcelain doll, it made him feel too fragile. He was a very capable man, thank you very much. A forced, sharp laugh from the taller man next to him jolted both Sal and Ashley’s attention to him. “Bastard’s just as homophobic and gross as he was in high school,” He spoke in a low tone that reminded Sal of a dog’s growl. Ash’s high-pitched snort signaled an agreement. Larry puckered his lips in thought for a moment before he continued on, “I’m gonna kill him.”

 

    “Larry, don’t-”

 

    “I’ll help you hide the body while Sal isn’t looking,” Ash added with a playful wink, ignoring the stubborn glare she received from the shorter man in front of her. Larry’s toughened expression cracked into a semi-lazy grin. He puffed out a small laugh, his tensed posture easing up into a slack position, “Deal.”

    Sal gasped in mock offense, “I’m literally right here you guys.” Ashley snorted and ruffled Sal’s blue locks, “But you’re so small! It’s impossible to see you,” She giggled, eyes sparkling under the neon lights.

 

    “It’s not my fault you guys are trees,” Sal rolled his eye, arms crossed tightly across his chest, although he only stood an inch or two shorter than Ash and almost a head shorter than Larry. Ash stuck her tongue out in protest and Larry laughed in response, both reactions making Sal burst into a smile and laugh lightly, sleeve hovering over his mouth despite his laugh already being muffled by his mask. He paused as he felt his booty buzz, realizing it was his phone. The short man brought his hand up to excuse himself to a quieter area, wandering off to a thinner crowd as he pulled out his phone and pressed his thumb against the home button to unlock it. 

 

    “Sal, Neil and I are going out to his parents. There’s soup in the fridge, coffee in the Keurig, and popcorn in the cupboard if you want to watch your shit show horror movies,” The voice of his roommate spoke from the other end without much greeting, it took Sal a moment to process what the boy had just said. 

    “Oh- Yeah, totally, thanks,” He managed to stammer out, more relaxed knowing he wouldn’t be disturbing the other house guests when he arrived late that night. Todd was a blessing, though he could be a total prick when it came to the house rules. Sal couldn’t blame him and waited quietly until he heard the other end hang up. He tucked his phone back into his pocket and faced the swarm of people again.

 

    It was nice standing on the outside for a bit, at least he could breathe somewhat that wasn’t the musky stench of sweaty people rubbing up against each other. Sal was sweating heavily under his mask, grossing himself out in his own humidity and just the fact that now the interior of his mask was moist. He slowly spun in a little 360 before he spotted the sliding doors to the backyard where the other half of the party was, though much less more packed together. Shuffling his way over, Sal stayed close pressed up against the walls to avoid being touched by other people. His mind fogged up again, lost in the loud blast of the music and moist mask humidity- And then he was free.

 

    The warm Spring air flew in through his eye and nose holes, bringing the masked boy slight relief from his sweaty prison. He unclipped the bottom strap and ducked his head, lifting it up slightly to bring more air towards his marbled face. The air was calming, that temperature that was just right, the smell of freshness and outdoors-ness like a warm summer night out in the forest. Sal moved away from the rest of the people, finding a quiet spot on the outskirts of the backyard, away from the noise and fast paced rush of life. 

 

    It seemed as if time had slowed down.

 

    Or even went backwards.

  
  


    “Sal?” A female voice called out, “Sally, where are you?”

    Sal opened his eyes to a new world. The sun shone down, it seemed to be close to setting but it lit up the sky in golden hues. The ground was flat, a smooth field with a tree scattered here and there, the spring air filling up in his lungs. He walked forward with eagerness, a woman sitting only a few meters away. A small flock of birds took flight as he approached them, a dog barked in the distance.

    “Don’t wander so far, sweetie.”

    The woman had blonde locks of hair, herself sat on a blanket with a picnic basket beside her.

    “I want to see the doggy, mom. Can’t you hear him?” Sal asked softly.

    “Why don’t you wait until your father gets here, okay? He should be here any minute now,” The woman replied in a gentle voice.

    Sal pouted, “But, I really want to see it. Please? Please, can I go pet the doggy?”

    The woman smiled fondly down at him, her eyes blank and white, “Oh, alright, Sal. Just give me a second to grab my purse. Then we can go together.”

    His face lit up at that, “Yay! I’ll wait over there, by the trees.”

    And so he walked. The trees began to thicken out as Sal walked further, not seeing the dog already spotting him in the brush.

 

    Everything was red. The stink of blood clogged his lungs as the stumbled out into the city. Sirens wailed in the distance as he walked past crumpled buildings, blood oozing from his face. He walked past a spilt purse, a broken collar.

 

    A skeletal corpse of a dog.

 

    A human skull.

 

    Blood.

 

    So much blood, trailing behind a stopped ambulance. 

    Sal stopped before reaching out and climbing inside.

  
  


    “Sal!” A hand smacked firmly onto his shoulder, causing the boy to gasp hard, choking on air for a hot second before he looked up at the taller man, doe-eyed. Larry’s amused expression turned into one of concern, “Sorry, did I spook you?” Sal’s mouth formed words, but none came out until a few moments later, “I- n-no! I was just, I zoned out. The peace is nice,” He said breathlessly, the last bits of memory fading from his vision as he stared out into the open night, hearing the grass shift as Larry sat down next to him. 

 

    “Heh, yeah, it was getting too hot in there for my liking,” Larry commented, leaning back onto his elbows, legs outstretched and crossed over each other. He looked at the blue haired boy next to him with his knees tucked up close to his chest, face pointed towards the horizon. Larry chewed on his lip before adding, “Have you checked for any bruises? I mean, a punch to the mask would be like running into a wall, right?”

 

    Sal turned his attention back to Larry, bottom straps dangling on his shoulders but mask still secure to his face, “Oh, no I haven’t checked yet. I was gonna wait until I got home, I feel more comfortable doing it there. I’m sure it’s not that bad, it just throbs is all.” He gave a shrug and lowered himself onto his back, pony tails splayed out on either side of his head. He heard the other man grunt as he plopped down onto his back next to Sal. He stared up at the night sky, clusters of stars staring back down at him. His eyes grew heavy as he was slowly lulled to sleep to Larry’s voice and the echoes of his mother.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope someone caught the Hamilton ref!  
> I also replayed Episode Two just so I can get the descriptions and lines for the memory scene to be exact. It's an emotional moment, and I didn't want to throw in guesses as to what they said.


	4. Green Gentian

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some goofing around and slight Gizmo time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ACT studies got me tired.

    Sal woke up to being kneed in the head.

 

    It was unintentional, of course, as the knee belonged to a sleeping Larry. Sal was met with confusion, raising his head slightly to figure out his surroundings. By the manufactured scent of lavender and leather along with the rumbling and vibrations, he could only assume he was in the back seat of Ashley’s car. More like- He was laying across the back seat with his head in Larry’s lap that served as a pillow. The long-haired metalhead was sleeping in an upright sitting position, head tossed back over the headrest from his height. There was another large bump, causing Larry’s knee to bonk Sal in the head again, resulting in the smaller boy finally pushing himself up and into a seated position next to the sleeping man beside him. 

 

    He could hear Ash mumbling in the driver’s seat along with odd body movements. She seemed to be twitching her shoulders and her head were moving up and down in rapid motions. Whatever the girl seemed to be saying was what Sal could only assume to be Latin phrases to summon Beelzebub. The bluenette leaned in, concerned that his dear friend and co-worker was being possessed only to realize that Ash was trying to rap along to the music on the radio and that she was dancing and not having a personal exorcism. With an amused sigh of relief, Sal leaned back in his seat and took interest to whatever was whooshing by outside his window.

 

    “I don’t know where you live,” Ash said out of the blue, causing Sal to look towards the front seat. He caught a glimpse of Ash glancing at him through the rear view mirror. “How’d you sleep?”

 

    “Like a baby,” Sal replied, voice dried out slightly from open-mouthed breathing while he slept, “How far out are we?”

 

    Ash tilted her head to look at her GPS, “Uhhh, oh- We’re nearly at Larry’s place, it’s close to that weird church.” Sal blinked in surprise, “Oh, I don’t live too far from there. I’m down the street actually.” The driver nodded and slowed down as the buildings thinned out until a red bricked building stood out in the near distance, a sign reading ‘Addison Apartments’ shown from the lights of Ash’s car. Sal recognized the place, having passed by it once or twice before, though he admitted he always got bad vibes from it. 

 

    Larry let out a grunt as a travelling sized pack of tissues was thrown at him by Ash. Sal snorted as Larry didn’t budge, only seeming to get more comfortable in his awkward position. He reached out and placed his hand on Larry’s shoulder, gently shaking him. The man replied with something unintelligible, causing Sal to shake harder. Larry still didn’t wake. With a pout from Sal and mumbled curses from Ash, the bluenette took out his phone, “Pass me the aux cord.”

 

Ashley obeyed without question and climbed out of the car, already knowing where this was going. Sal plugged the cord into his phone and cranked the volume up on both his phone and the car before he scrolled between the four songs available to him. He opened the song and hit play.

 

**“WE.”**

**“ARE.”**

**“THE.”**

**“VOID.”**

The car rattled and vibrated as the song played, Sal nearly thought the glass would shatter. He heard a soft, “Oh fuck yeah,” come from the wakening man next to him as Larry sleepily headbanged, although it looked like he was just nodding. Sal couldn’t resist laughing at Larry from just the way he woke up so casually to the loud, screaming, violent music that was blasting so loud it reminded Sal of the party they were at earlier.

 

Larry looked over at Sal, noticing the shorter man’s shoulders shaking from laughter. He blinked the sleep away from his eyes and started to laugh as well, stretching and leaning into the front of the car to turn the music down. Sal’s laughter was more clearer and sounded full with genuine amusement, though still muffled from the mask. Larry pouted, a playful grin slapped across his face as he watched the shorter boy laugh at him, “It’s not _that_ funny-”

 

“Fuck yeah it was!” Sal choked out as he flapped his hands in front of his face in a sad attempt to calm his laughter down. A knock at the window made the boys look over at a smirking Ash who opened the door and poked her head in, “Boys, boys, I’d rather listen to  "RIDING OUT ON A HORSE IN A STAR-SPANGLED RODEO” than to-” followed by a gurgled vomit of screaming and in her best attempts to sing along to the quieted Sanity’s Fall song. Sal snorted and broke into another fit of laughter with Larry following close behind, “Dude- No- Ash-” The taller man tried to form words in his own bubbles of laughter.

 

Ashley rolled her eyes and opened the door wider, taking a step off to the side, “Get out of my damn car.”

 

Sal promoted himself to the passenger seat as the florists watched Larry track up the sidewalk towards the apartments. The brunette looked over his shoulder and waved his hand in farewell as he pushed the door open and disappeared into the building. The drive down the road to Sal’s place was short and quiet, and even though the boy offered to walk himself, Ash insisted to drive him since, “No one will see your short ass in the dark, you’d get run over.” She pulled up into the driveway and unlocked the doors, “We’re opening late tomorrow, right?” She questioned as Sal opened the door and slid out of the car. 

 

    “Uh-huh,” He replied with a little nod, taking a deep breath of the fresh night air. He shut the door to Ashley’s car and remained on the driveway as she backed out and turned onto the road. He waited, watching silently until the red lights of her car faded into the distance- Only then did Sal turn on his heel and started to trek his way to the front door. The bluenette patted his pockets for a short moment before reaching in and extracting his keys, lazily shoving the correct one into the lock. With a soft grunt he turned the knob and pushed the door open with unneeded force as sleep tried to take over his body. He passed by the oven and glanced at the time.

 

    2:36AM.

 

    Sal unbuckled his prosthetic and stumbled into the darkness, shuffling his way into the living room. His head throbbed lightly from the punch from Travis, but he didn’t pay it much mind as he finally slipped into his bedroom. A pair of reflected eyes peered at him from the foot of his bed, “Bwurr?” With a smile, Sal set his mask on his nightstand and sat down on his bed, reaching his hand out. His fingers made contact with soft fur as Gizmo pressed his head into the boy’s hand, a soft, “Mrrrrow,” coming from the cat. Sal cooed softly before reaching his free hand up to his face and expertly popping his eye out, dropping it into the glass of liquid that was next to his mask.

 

    The cool air in his room felt refreshing as Sal exercised his face lightly, rubbing his scarred cheeks. Gizmo dipped his head away from his pet human’s hand and stood up, back arched as he stretched himself out. The cat climb over and sat himself down on Sal’s lap, front paws pressed against his chest in a small stretch- Or rather trying to tell him to lay down and go to bed. With an exhausted sigh, the bluenette complied, gently cupping Gizmo into his arms and turning himself so that he could lay on his bed more effectively. The orange tabby purred with satisfaction, curling himself up on his human’s chest and nuzzling his head under Sal’s chin as the boy fell asleep to the relaxing vibrations of his feline friend.

 


	5. Blue Amsonias

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shop time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for how long this took to get up. I was hoping to get at least 2,500 in, but due to personal life issues, I cut it short. The next chapter, however, won't take as long and should be up by the 12th.
> 
> Also, if you're going to Motor City Comic Con on the 17th-19th, I hope to see you there. :)

    **BEEP BEEP BEEP BE-**

 

    Sal slammed his hand on his alarm clock, fingers desperately trying to find the button that turned the damn thing off. His index regrettably pressed down on the radio button and before the boy could react-

 

    _ “--at you want, what ya’ really, really, want--”_

_     “--GOD HATES US ALL--” _

_     “--In the arms… Of… An Angel…--” _

 

    The bluenette groaned and sat up, eyeing the correct button and pressing down on it hard. Sal let his body rest in that position for a moment, the last slivers of sleep still eating away at him. With a quiet grunt, he rolled himself over and sat up with his legs hung over the edge with feet planted firmly on the floor. He smelt of weed and was in desperate need of a warm, steamy shower. Sal lazily stood and drug his feet across the floor and out of his room, catching Gizmo watching the TV out of the corner of his eye. He waved at the cat and mumbled a sleepy, “Mornin’, Gizmo…” as he strolled into the bathroom and shut the door behind him. His hands dug into his pocket for his phone and he pulled up his shower playlist, setting it on shuffle before placing his phone on the edge of the sink. He ran the shower and began to undressed himself, discarding his clothes into a small pile on the floor. As soon as he stepped into the tub he was greeted with the slight burn of the water pouring onto his sensitive face. He flinched backwards, hand reached out to turn the knob down a bit and he waited for the water to cool down some. Iron Maiden rocked on his phone as the bluenette began to wash himself, trying to keep the suds away from his eye and socket as much as possible.

 

    Sal spent a good several minutes mostly standing there after he rinsed off, enjoying the warmth of the water on his skin. He shut off the shower and wrapped himself up before he stepped onto the bathroom rug. The cold air didn’t bother him much as he wrapped his hair up in a towel and propped it upright on his head, gathering his filthy clothes up and finding his way down to the laundry room with his phone on the pile of clothes. He set his phone aside and ran the laundry before trekking back upstairs to dress himself for the day. 

 

    Once Sal deemed himself worthy of showing himself to the outside world, he put in his eye and wandered into the kitchen to make himself a balanced breakfast of cup ramen and some hot water. He sat at the table and watched videos on his phone as he shoved noodles into his mouth peacefully- At least it was peaceful until he saw the time.

 

    “Fumph!” Sal cursed as he nearly choked on the broth, sliding his cup away and speed walking into his room. He slipped his mask on and grabbed his car keys before he ran outside and-

    -and remembered he left his car at the shop when they left for the party. Sal put a hand on his mask’s forehead trying to hush the loud internal screaming in his mind as he panicked and started to run down the sidewalk.

 

“Dude! Sal, hey, bread slice- Chill out,” Ash said as she moved from her spot in the employee’s room to the panting blue haired boy that came tumbling through the door. Sal collapsed into a grey plastic chair, arms draped over the back as he caught his breath. He wasn’t athletic, so jogging at a slightly higher speed for half an hour to get to work was not doing him very good, since he spent most of his time sitting and playing music. Ash gave Sal a few minutes to breathe before she grinned and crossed her arms, shifting her weight onto her right leg, “Saw your car outside the shop, I thought you’d at least bike- Should’ve Uber’ed here.” Sal groaned out loud in his own stupidity.

 

Business flourished as soon as the afternoon times rolled around, many of the customers coming in for late anniversary gifts or to spruce up their household. Sal had counter duty while Ash walked around directing customers and misting the plants. Counter duty usually meant Sal just rang up customers, hand them a few lousy coupons, and silently die of boredom. Of course, he loved his job more than anything and the slow-paced flow of customers they got, but could you blame him for being bored? Lucky for him, he had a visitor.

 

Sal looked up from behind the counter, tucking his Gear Boy into his apron’s pocket as Megan ran up to the counter. She wore a pastel yellow dress with a few purple, blue, and green printed flowers sprinkled around her skirt. He smiled behind his prosthetic, walking around the counter as the girl bounced towards him, “Sally Face!” She greeted with a high pitched squeal, coming to a stop in front of the short man.

 

“Megan,” Sal returned the greeting warmly, bending down slightly to give the girl a friendly hug, “Is that a new dress? I haven’t seen it before.” 

    Megan nodded, pulling away and twirling a few times to show off her outfit, “My mommy bought it for me this morning! There was a sale at the store and I- Oh!” She cut herself off as she stood on her tiptoes, facing the small flower-shaped speaker resting on the counter that played music while the shop was running. Megan gasped softly and clapped her hands together, bouncing on her feet.

 

_" Oh Hannah, I wanna feel you close. Oh Hannah, come lie with my bones.”_

 

    Megan swayed a bit, twisting her hips and making her dress flutter slightly with each movement to ‘girl in red - I Wanna Be Your Girlfriend’, humming along softly. She looked up at Sal and reached up, grabbing his hands and starting to sway them, “Dance with me, Sally Face!”

    Who could resist? Sal laughed as he held his arm out a bit to let Megan twirl before swaying along with her. She eventually let go of his hands to dance to jump around lightly, pumping her arms up and down as she danced. The florist copied her movements, adding a bit of a twist in his hips and feet to spice up the dance session just a tad. He found himself mumbling along to the words, “I will follow you home, although my lips are blue and I’m cold.”

 

    He didn’t realize someone walking in.

 

    “I don’t wanna be your friend, I wanna kiss your lips-” Sal paused as his eyes met Larry’s. The taller man was leaning up against the wall with a soft yet amused grin. Megan stopped dancing as she noticed Sal stop, looking up at him curiously before looking over at where the bluenette was staring. 

    Larry fixed his posture and walked over to the pair, “Sorry, didn’t mean to intrude on your dance party,” He said with a toothy smile. Megan stared in awe of Larry’s height compared to herself before she giggled, “That’s okay. I have to go find my mommy at the ice cream place anyways.” The purplette turned around and gave Sal a hug before she skipped out of the shop, leaving the two men standing in silence- save for the soft music still playing from the speaker. 

 

    Sal cleared his throat, “You lookin’ for Ash? Cause I think she’s in the new greenhouse in the back-”

    “No, I came to see you.”

    “Oh,” The florist’s eyes widened slightly in surprise, hand rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly, “Me?” Larry chuckled and nodded, leaning over the counter as he faced Sal, “Just wanted to make sure you were okay. We were pretty baked last night, wanted to see if Ash got you home alright.” 

    Sal’s face flushed under his mask at Larry’s concern over him, “I- Yeah! I’m- I’m fine. I passed out as soon as she dropped me off. Although having to run all the way to work wasn’t fun, at least I got some exercise in.” The brunette snorted, “You ran? With those tiny legs of yours?” He smirked playfully, earning an equally playful glare from the shorter male.

 

    Sal crossed his arms over his chest and leaned over the counter as well, “So what are you doing here, other than checking up? Don’t you work?”

    Larry pouted slightly at that, shoulders shrugging as his fingers drummed across the wooden counter, “Eh, no. I don’t have any commissions going on right now. Work is slow, I guess. It’s hard being an artist, heh.” The bluenette was silent, his mouth opening a few times to speak, yet he had nothing to say yet. He could offer Larry a part time job, maybe give him greenhouse duty or-

 

    The greenhouse.

    “Can I commission you?” Sal asked, straightening his posture, “We have a wall that’s connected to the alleyway, plain bricks. It could use some kick-ass art,” He said with a smile. The only way Larry could tell was from the small squint in Sal’s eyes. Larry looked like a fish, mouth opening and closing much like Sal earlier, words trying to form as he stammered out unintelligible gibberish. 

“I-I…” He started, hands trying to express words for him, “That sounds- I mean only if you really want to I don’t want this to be like a-”

“Lar, dude, shut up,” Sal laughed at the taller man, “I’m serious, it looks so boring out there. Some floral art or something would be amazing-” He smirked under his prosthetic, “If you’re up for it.”

 

For the next five minutes Larry and Sal talked over designs. The brunette pulled out a small sketchpad along with travel sized colored pencils to make small doodles, showing them to Sal for his opinion. They shook hands, sealing the deal.

To be honest, Sal was looking forward to having the metalhead artist around more often.

 


	6. Daffodils

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Happy Mother's Day, everyone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is really personal to me, since I lost my own mother when I was a toddler.  
> I hope everyone has an amazing Sunday (though I'm updating this on Saturday because why not.)

The wind was a bit chilly for spring, though he expected nothing less from Michigan weather. Everything was still damp and cloudy from the recent rain, but it didn’t bother Sal as he pulled up into the dirt road. He slowed down, carefully weaving his way through the muddy path as his car hiked up a small hill, the grass a bit more overgrown than other areas on the property. He patted the dashboard of his car in encouragement as it sputtered and wheezed its way to the top of the hill. Sal slowed down further as he reached his destination, pulling off to the side and parking.

 

He stepped out, trying to avoid stepping in any puddles or overly muddy spots. In his hands were a bouquet of a variety of flowers, mainly daffodils. He had harvested them all by hand himself, gathering them up gently in loving arms as he tied the stems with a blue ribbon. His shoes made uncomfortable squishing noises as he marched through the wet grass, carefully maneuvering around stones. He stopped.

 

“Hi, I uh. Sorry I haven’t visited you much. I know it’s been a while, but I’ve been so caught up in my studies and keeping the shop going, I’m really sorry I haven’t found the time to stop by,” Sal started, looking down at his wet shoes, “I did get these for you though, mostly your favorites. I hope they make up for the missed time, heheh,” He smiled fondly as he lightly traced his fingers along one of the petals of the daffodils. Blue strands of hair fell over his face as he lifted his head back up.

 

“Work’s been slow, as usual, though I don’t doubt we’d be getting busier days soon. It’s just Ash and I, but the customers we get now do keep us on our feet. Oh, I wish you could meet Megan. She’s such a sweetheart, cutest little angel- She likes to stop by after her school and bring a flower home. I hope you don’t mind that- No, of course you wouldn’t mind that,” Sal corrected himself. “Before you think I’m not getting out enough, I did go to a party recently. Don’t worry, I didn’t get into much trouble. Didn’t drink or anything, but I did get socked in the face. I’m fine though.”

 

The wind picked up slightly, combing through Sal’s hair as he twirled the bouquet in his hands slowly, admiring the blooms. “The flowers are really pretty this year, they’ve been growing nicely. We got a new greenhouse too, extra space and stuff, especially for the bigger plants and our cacti. Do you think we’d get away with selling little rose bushes?” He asked, not receiving an answer. A laugh bubbled in his throat, looking back down at the bouquet in his hands. Sal reached a hand up and unbuckled the lower strap of his prosthetic, lifting it up so that it rested on his head. The cold air somewhat soothed his face, feeling relaxed and refreshed.

 

“I might try to do that. Rose bushes would look nice, maybe have some displayed out in the front of the store too- Oh, Ash and I were planning on getting an awning, maybe set up a bench or two outside. Hang a few plants,” He gushed softly over the ideas, a smile growing on his face at the thought. “We’re getting the alley wall done too, a new friend of mine is an artist. He drew up some ideas and I love them all, I can’t wait to see how it ends up,” Sal’s voice dropped to a whisper by now as he talked, hands shaking slightly as it grew a bit colder around him. 

 

Sal turned around as he heard a car pull up not too far behind him. He sniffled from the cold air and saw a tall man emerge from the Chevy that parked next to his own car, dawning a worn out suit with combed back blue hair and beard. The man carried a bouquet of yellow daffodils, unlike Sal’s varied choices. He approached, dress shoes squishing in the grass as he stood next to Sal, a firm hand wrapped around his shoulder as Sal was pulled closer to his father. Henry hugged his son tightly, a small cry caught in his throat as Sal hugged back, quivering from emotion.

 

“I didn’t think you’d m-make it,” Sal admitted, face buried in his father’s suit, “I-I didn’t- I meant- I just didn’t think you wanted to-” He struggled to get the words out. Henry patted his son’s back, “I didn’t think I’d visit her today either. It’s been no easier, son. I…- Honestly, I thought I was going to end up crashing on the couch drunk again,” He tried joking lightly, though it was the truth. “Your old man isn’t as strong as he used to be, Sal. I’m sorry that I turned to… Those kinds of coping mechanisms. I know that it’s been hard on you and that my drinking hasn’t been helping, but Sal I-”

 

“Dad, just- It’s okay,” The longer haired boy sniffled as tears rolled over each bump and crevice on his face, “It’s okay, I understand. I’m just really glad you made it.”  He pulled back for a moment to laugh lightly, “It feels like.. When I was turning four, when you did my hair…”

 

_     Sal’s legs swung back and forth on the edge of his bed. He grasped his prosthetic tightly in his hands as his blue eye bore into the calendar hanging on his wall. It was his birthday- More specifically, his first birthday without his mother. The small boy went still as the reality of it finally crossed his mind. His first birthday without his mother. _

_ “Sal, kiddo?” There was a knock on the door before it slowly creaked open, a blue haired bearded man poked his head through the door. The man’s eyes seemed glazed over, and even though Sal was very young, he could tell that his father was fighting with sobriety. Sal hummed with acknowledgment and carefully slid off of his bed, wandering over to his father with strands of hair falling around his face. He piped up, voice barely above a whisper, “The buckles keep getting caught in my hair…” He explained, holding his prosthetic up to his father. _

_     Henry gently took the mask into his shaky hands before he looked down at his son. “Ah,” He voiced softly as he got an idea, stepping out of the room and gesturing Sal to follow. The young boy hesitated as he saw his dad go into his room. Sal rarely went into his dad’s room, since his dad spent a lot of time in there drinking and working with his door shut and locked. With caution, the bluenette quietly strode into the room after his father. Henry grabbed his swivel chair from his desk and rolled it over to a mirror before smiling at his son, patting the old fabric seat. Sal stared at his father for a moment before walking over and climbing onto the chair, his father keeping the chair still so that the little lad wouldn’t tumble off. Once situated, he faced the mirror and at his dad’s reflection. _

_     “You might not like the idea, but just trust me on this one, alright kiddo?” The man said, unwrapping a blue hair band from his wrist. With a nod from Sal, Henry began to comb through his son’s hair with his fingers before gently taking half of them into his hands. He expertly tied the locks with the hair band and did the same with the other side until he heard his son start to giggle. “What is it?” Henry asked, cracking a gentle smile as he saw his son’s face flushed red and an embarrassed smile on his scarred lips. _

_     “I look silly, Daddy,” Sal said between giggles. In all honesty, he didn’t oppose to the hair style. He shook his head and let his new pigtails bounce around, only causing him to laugh some more. Sal’s laugh were sweet like honey to the man’s ears. Henry felt his chest swell with adoration for his son and he couldn’t help but to laugh along. It felt strange to laugh, not remembering the last time he had an honest laugh. _

_     “It looks like how you used to do Mommy’s hair.” _

_     Henry’s laugh faltered as he looked down, meeting Sal’s blue gaze stare back up at him. He breathed in deeply, releasing a heavy sigh as he knelt down in front of his son. “Sal, let me tell you something. You don’t let anyone judge you, okay? You’re strong, kiddo, stronger than your old man here.” He felt his eyes sting with tears, “You’d make your mama so proud. I love you, son.” Sal stared at his dad with a wide blue eye before catching Henry off guard with a hug, burying his head into his father’s chest. _

_     “I love you too, Dad.” _

 

     Henry smiled at the memory as he looked down at the stone in front of them. He knelt down and placed his bouquet on top of the stone. Sal followed suit, adding his bouquet next to his father’s. 

“We miss you, Mom,” Sal started, choking up a bit.

“Happy Mother’s Day.”

 


	7. Purple Petunias

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lunch Break

    Sal arrived to work the next day with a blue mug clutched tightly in his hands, his mask tilted up slightly to allow him to sip at his iced, overly-creamed coffee slowly. He hated the taste of coffee, but at least the coldness and mass amounts of creamer help his taste buds and himself get ready for the day. His green apron hung loosely around his shoulders as he grabbed a spray bottle and the watering schedule. He began his round, first heading off into the greenhouse.

    Soft whispers reached Sal’s ears as he approached the small potted ferns, making him turn around in question. He hobbled over to the larger plants that he hid behind, peeking through the leaves. Ash was giggling softly, her own cup of coffee in her hand as she droned on about whatever to a taller girl with silver hair. 

    “And the two idiots were just passed out in the back of my car, Sal had his head in Larry’s lap and it was the cutest-” Ash paused as she noticed something off about her company. The silver-haired girl stared over Ash’s shoulder and straight at Sal, who bolted out of the plants and misted the batch of ferns as if he totally wasn’t eavesdropping on their conversation.

    “Sal,” Ash said, rounding her way around the greenhouse until she spotted her co-worker. She crossed her arms with a smug grin, “You’re terrible at hiding, especially in groggy mornings. Fear not, Maple is nice. She won’t bite you.” 

    The silver-haired girl, who Sal presumed was Maple, waved quietly at Sal, “So you’re the fella who slept in Larry Johnson’s lap? Oh, Lar’s never gonna live this one down,” She snorted, sipping on her Starbucks tea. “And speak of the damned Devil, here he is,” Maple murmured, peeking out into the main store.

 

    And there the damned Devil stood, a duffle bag slung over his shoulder with a white, stained apron folded in his arms. Ash gave the two a glance before walking out to Larry.

    “So you’re Sally Face. Ash talks about you all the time,” Maple started, a small smile on her lips, “the way she talks about you made me expect you to be… A lot shorter.”

    “Christ- I’m not that short!” Sal protested, sipping his coffee with a pout, lowering his mask slightly, “I’m only 5’2.”

    Maple bit her lip to keep back a laugh, “I consider anyone 5’3 and under to be short. Suck it up, Buttercup, you’re tiny.” Sal pouted even more and playfully punched Maple’s arm, “No wonder you’re Ash’s friend, you both seem to like making fun of my height and we just met,” he chuckled, glancing down at the watering schedule and walking over to some of the tinier plants that were housed in little plastic black cups. 

    He misted through the shelves, “What brings you here to my humble little shop?” He asked, settling his mask fully on his face and buckling the strap single-handedly. Maple shrugged, “I’m on vacation. Normally I’d be in Detroit at my tattoo parlor, but I got a few of my girls covering for me while I’m off. I’ve been drowned in work.”

    Sal nodded along as he went through his list of plants, “You also know Larry, apparently?”

    “Met the dude in art school, inked him a few times even,” Maple hummed on as she spotted Larry coming around to the outside of the greenhouse. She popped open one of the windows and stuck her head out, “Johnson!” She called out, a smirk spread across her lips.

    Sal laughed softly and left the room, leaving the two to catch up and bicker.

 

Noon rolled around sooner than they expected, and Sal was ready to head out to his favorite soup place for his lunch break. He removed his apron and tucked his phone into his pocket, heading outside just to see a piece of ham on the ground. The bluenette paused and looked down the alleyway, noticing a certain artist trying to stuff a sandwich in his mouth as he simultaneously laid out a tape pattern on the wall of the greenhouse. 

    “Dude, it’s not illegal to like, stop and take a break,” Sal called out, walking over to Larry. The brunette mumbled something, muffled by the sandwich he was holding in his mouth and desperately trying to consume without any hands, as they were busy getting the lines straight. Sal rolled his eye and placed a hand on Larry’s shoulder, tugging him away from his work. Larry make a noise in protest, but put up little resistance to the smaller male’s insistence.

 

    Johnson found himself being dragged down the road and stuffed into a booth at a small restaurant with squiggly writing on strips of wall. He had lost his poorly made sandwich along the way, probably being picked at by pigeons by now. Sal sat across from Larry, setting a tray down between them. There were two sandwich bags, two cups, and two large cups of sweetened iced tea. Sal opened the lid of his smaller cup, revealing the soup he had ordered for himself, “You need something other than two slices of Wonder Bread and an old piece of ham- AND, you need a break.”

    “You didn’t have to do this-” “You’ve been working your ass off in the sun since this morning, so shut up and let me treat you,” Sal said earnestly, unbuckling the bottom strap of his mask and stabbing the soup with his spoon. Larry opened his cup to breathe in the delicious smell of lobster bisque, which Sal had claimed to be Zoup’s best. He dipped his spoon into the soup and gave it a little taste test. Maybe the short nugget was right, it was pretty damn good.

    The smaller male ate a bit slower than Larry, careful not to jam his spoon into his mask or spill any as he attempted to maneuver his way under the mask and into his mouth.

    “So,” Sal started as he swallowed, “I met a friend of yours, Maple. I suppose you’re an interesting guy.” “Aw, gee thanks. You _suppose_ I’m an interesting guy,” Larry teased lightly with a grin, causing Sal to flush under his mask, “N-No, I didn’t mean it like you’re not interesting- You are in-interesting- I just-”

    “You wanna get to know me better,” Larry finished for him, a smirk spread across his face. “Well, strap in, it’s a bit of a rocky ride.”

 

    Larry’s childhood was one of the most intriguing stories Sal as ever heard. He sympathized in some parts, felt sorry in others, though most of the time he was laughing at child Larry’s crazy antics. He enjoyed the way Larry used his words, it was like watching a movie about his life with how visual his speech was, the color in the way he spoke, and how he told his story with his hands and facial expressions. Sal smiled behind his prosthetic, leaning in slightly as he engaged with Larry’s story, fascinated by the whimsical male.

    “You left out the part about when you went to juvy,” A familiar voice sounded from the table next to them. The pair looked over at Travis, and Larry paled slightly.

    “Does it matter?” Sal questioned, an eyebrow raised as he squinted at the blonde, “so what if he went to juvy?”

    “He’s a sinner,” Travis grumbled, “a filthy sinner. No wonder his Dad left him- I wouldn’t want a sinner of a son either-”

    Sal placed his hands firmly on the table and stood up, marching his way up to the other’s table. “You have no right to be so cynical. You could’ve just ignored us instead of eavesdropping like some stalker.” He felt himself stumble backwards as rough hands shoved at his chest, Travis now standing up offensively.

    “Back off, freak,” Travis snarled.

    “ _ Hey, _ ” Larry’s voice was low and warning, walking over to the blonde, chest to chest. He looked down at Travis, his height definitely giving him a much more intimidating advantage. “Why don’t you piss off. The only freak here is  _ you _ if you honestly believe in all that hocus pocus bullshit your dad pulls out of his ass.”

    Travis’ face went red to the point Sal thought he was about to explode. Instead, all he did was shove Larry with his shoulder as he turned and stormed his way out, a slur of unintelligible words flowing from his mouth.

 

Sal blinked in confusion from the whole situation starting and ending so abruptly. He looked up at Larry, who seemed much more calmed down and softer. He smiled apologetically at Sal, “Thanks for uh, thanks for standing up for me about the whole… Juvy thing.”

    The bluenette chuckled, “Anytime bro. Our past doesn’t reflect our current selves,” He said encouragingly as he glanced down at his phone for the time. “Break’s over though, let’s head back to the shop.”

    Larry smiled wider and followed Sal out of Zoup, hands awkwardly stuffed into his pockets, “I- Can we do this again tomorrow?” He asked softly, Sal almost didn’t hear him. He whipped around to look at the taller male. He smiled under his prosthetic, brushing a strand of blue hair away and tucking it behind his ear.

    “Sound’s good to me.” 

 


	8. Red Rebutias

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Red Eyes' name in this fic, Abaddon is a word/name for both a place of destruction and an angel of the abyss. Just sayin' where I got that name from. UwU

    Sal frowned.

“What in Beelzebub’s name do you mean you’re closing our shop?” He demanded as his eyes scanned over the paper over and over again.

 

    The man in front of his gave him a smug smile, “As you know, my father Terrance Addison owns several properties in Nockfell. In result of his recent and unfortunate passing, I inherited the land, including the one your pitiful little plant shop is built upon. Therefore, we’re shutting you down, I plan to have this place demolished by the end of the month.”

Sal wasn’t sure if he ever felt the boiling mixture of emotions bubbling within him before. Rage, grief, pure shock. He looked up at the tall man who donned a jet black business suit, his hair to match. His darkly tanned skin paired with his devilishly red framed sunglasses along with his canine grin and grimly enthusiastic personality made him seem like a demon that crawled straight out of Hell’s asshole. The two assistants next to him wore a more plain looking outfit, still dark colored in nature although they lacked the flashy sunglasses. In Sal’s perspective they looked like cult members worshipping the damned businessman, who was more commonly known as Terrance Addison’s no-good son, Abaddon “Red Eyes” Addison.

“I expect you to be out of here sooner than later, or we’ll just have to tear this down with you inside it,” Red Eyes added, his voice dripped with haunting toxin.

“Over my dead body,” Sal murmured.

“Yes, that- That’s kind of the point,” Red Eyes stifled a chuckle as he pivoted on his heel and walked out the door, his two assistants trailing behind him.

 

He didn’t remember buying five tubs of ice cream on the way home, and he certainly didn’t remember curling up on the couch and shoving spoonful's of Superman ice cream into his mouth as he held back tears. Todd and Neil sat on either side of him, Neil slinging an arm around Sal and Todd reading and re-reading the paper.

“Bullshit,” The red-head hissed, “Is this allowed? This can’t be allowed, right?”

“It’s my mom’s flower shop,” Sal sniffled through a mouthful of colorful ice cream, “Th-They can’t just- I don’t understand?? I’m paying the tax and everything and business is great I don’t know wh-wh-why he’d just-”

Neil hugged the bluenette closer, “Easy there, Salio. It’s gonna be alright. We’ll find a way around this, right babe?” He said, looking over at his boyfriend. Todd nodded, “Of course, we’ll get a lawyer or something and figure this out with Addison. Hell, we’ll take this shit to court if we have to. Diane’s Floral Emporium isn’t going anywhere. That’s a fact.”

Gizmo purred in agreement from his spot in Sal’s lap.

    Neil slowly pulled away due to the intrusion of doorbell spam. He swiftly strode over to the door and was lightly shoved to the side by Ashley, who marched inside the house with an awkwardly Larry trailing behind her as he murmured his apologies. 

“I’m going to kill that well-dressed fucker before he even gets the damned chance to lay a single finger on that shop,” She stated aggressively, grabbing a kitchen chair and dragging it into the living room. She plopped the chair down in front of Sal and straddled it, crossing her arms, “I shit you not I-”

“Ash, please calm down,” Larry sighed, though it was plainly obvious Larry seemed just as- if not more- frustrated with the situation as Ash was. Sal admired that, sniffling again as the inside of his mask became wet from his tears.

Todd exclaimed sharply as he lifted up his phone, “A-ha! Guys!” He waved his phone around a bit before shoving it into Sal’s face.

“I think I found just who we need,” Todd said, a rare smile spread across his face.

    Everyone huddled around the couch as Sal dialed the number, his heart racing fast. “Hello? S-Stacy Holmes?”

 

    The florist was more than thankful for the chances of Megan’s mom ending up working as lawyer. He broke into a sob over the phone, Ash now sitting next to him holding his hand as Larry rubbed small circles on the smaller male’s back. 

    “Abaddon had everyone’s hopes up in the beginning,” Stacy said from the other end, “but don’t fret, Sally, we can schedule an appointment to meet up at my office later this week if you’d like? We can discuss further details then.”

    Sal choked back a sob, “Th-Thank you, Mrs. Holmes, this means the absolute world to me.”

    He could hear Stacy smile, “Anything for Megan’s best friend, Sal. Does Thursday sound good?”

    “Of course.”

    “Wonderful, I’ll see you then,” and with that, the line ended.

    Neil whooped softly, clapping his hands together before he embraced Todd. Ash clutched Sal’s hand firmly in support as she smiled, her cheeks streaked with a few tears of her own. 

    Sal didn’t expect the bear hug from Larry, but accepted it with the biggest smile. His heart leaped in his chest from the feeling as he blinked his tears away, shaky and uneven breaths as he clung onto the taller man.

 

    “Do you think they’ll evict me from Addison Apartments now that Red Eyes took over?” Larry asked as he flipped through the TV, lounging on the couch with Sal. Larry had volunteered to spend the night, since he had nothing better to do and wanted some bro time with the bluenette. 

    Sal sat on the other cushion of the couch, sipping cola from a straw with his mask on, save for the slight looseness to allow the straw to reach his mouth, “I hope not. Hell, I’m not even sure if the other shops are getting closed down too. I feel like-”

    “Like Red is out to get you specifically?” Larry mused, grinning slightly, “yeah, dude, I feel that. Even when I was a kid whenever he was around with his father he’d just… Try to get me in trouble. Blame me for certain things happening in the apartments.”

    Sal pouted and looked over at the brunette, “That’s bull,” he mumbled, tucking in his knees closer to his chest.

    Larry laughed, “Life’s full of it. But that’s okay, I usually just paint my worries away or try to head bang hard enough to forget, y’know?” He nudged Sal lightly, earning a giggle from the blue haired man. 

    “I haven’t had a good headbanging session in forever. It’s not that fun when you live with two nerds who dislike quality music,” Sal admitted, shrugging his shoulders as he faced the TV again.

    “Well what are we waiting for? Let’s go!” Larry exclaimed, pushing himself off the couch and walking over to grab his car keys. Sal’s brows furrowed in confusion, “Huh? Where are we going?”

    The artist smirked, “Mi casa, we’re gonna head bang Red Eyes’ stupidity away.”

 

    It was cozy, much more cozier than Sal’s own room. His eye gazed over at all the furniture and décor Larry had in his room, including a couple of bean bags and a large half-finished canvas, an old radio, and a large TV. He recognized most of the posters hanging loosely on the wall, admiring how much they had in common.

    Larry waltzed over to his radio and stuck the antennae out before the familiar intro of ‘Singular’ came on through the speakers. 

    “Are you ready, Sally Face?” Larry asked, taking a step back away from the radio and combing his hand through his long hair.

    Sal grinned under his mask, “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

    He felt his entire body cease of all tension the second the singer began to belt out the lyrics. He wanted to scream along with the song, he wanted to punch the walls, he wanted to cry all at once. His hair flew around wildly and out of his squinted blurred gaze, he could see a wave of brown hair whip through the air with just as much force. 

    He inhaled as he threw his head back and exhaled every time he lurched forward, so focused and concentrated on the music he didn’t notice the pressure on his face lighten. 

Sal looked up and flipped his hair back to watch Larry, only to see him leaning against the wall with his hand over his nose. He panicked and rushed over, “Larry? Larry, are you okay?”

The metalhead nodded and looked up before he locked onto Sal’s bare face. He didn’t speak as Sal worried over him, pushing his hand away to reveal Larry’s broken nose. He heard the bluenette gasp and watched him grab a fistful of tissues from the box.

“Ow-” He winced as Sal stuffed a tissue up his nose in the most delicate way possible in that situation.

“I’m sorry, I just want to get the bleeding to stop- Ah, shit- That looks bad- I think it’s broken-” He whimpered softly, kneeling down next to Larry.

The artist only managed to laugh, a genuine smile on his face, “I mean, it’s probably not as bad as what happened to your nose,” He said before he frowned at his choice of words, “shit, no, wait-”

Tears pricked Sal’s eye as he stared back at Larry, “W-Why aren’t you…”

Larry panicked and sat up, placing his hands on Sal’s biceps, “Sally, I didn’t mean it like that. What I meant was that-”

“Why didn’t you look away?”

Larry was silenced mid sentence. It was true, he couldn’t take his eyes off the other boy. “You.. Look…”  _ ‘Beautiful’  _ he wanted to say.

“...Metal!” Larry laughed, a hand reaching up and cupping Sal’s face, pulling away slightly as the other boy flinched from his touch, “Sorry, I’m a man of no boundaries. I mean it though! Do you know how badass you look? Like- Shit dude you belong on a Sanity’s Fall poster! I mean all of that in the best way possible.”

Sal’s brows knit together before he relaxed and started to laugh, “You’re an idiot, Larry. You must be crazy if you actually like my face.”

“Of course I like your face, bro,” The brunette grinned even wider, “You’re the coolest dude ever.”

 

Sal swallowed hard as he felt a tingling sensation in his gut. What the hell was he feeling?

 


	9. Orange Osage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long and is short :( Life hasn't been great.

Sal rocked slowly in his seat as he sipped on his banana smoothie anxiously, chewing on the straw lightly as he did so. The bottom straps of his mask dangled by the sides of his face loosely, which the bluenette absentmindedly fidgeted with with his hand that wasn’t holding up the smoothie.

“Dude, you’re gonna get a brain freeze,” Larry commented over his own smoothie which he was nearly finished with. Ash sat next to the brunette, scooping whip cream with her straw and eating it, “He has a point, Sal. I’m sure that when the day of the case comes around, Red Eyes will stand no chance against Stacy in winning our shop over.”

Sal hummed his appreciations as he pulled back, squeezing his eyes shut as the bridge of his nose chilled up towards his forehead. He grunted and waited for the freeze to cease before he opened his eyes to look at the two, “I know, but not everyone wins these kinds of cases. I-If we lose then wh-”

“My man, relax,” Larry interrupted, reaching over and placing a hand over Sal’s, “you don’t need to worry about all of that because it ain’t gonna happen. Not if we have anything to do about it,” He said with a firm nod, gesturing to himself and Ash.

“Mm, cuntfuck here is right,” Ash agreed before standing up and scootching her way around the table. “Well, fellas, I’ll see you around, yeah? Ben and I are supposed to having a bonding day. Don’t die, and most importantly, don’t drink n’ drive, kids.”

Larry snorted as the duo watched Ashley leave, leaving the two of them to sip at their smoothies in content peace.

“So, I was wondering if ya wanted to hang out today?” The artist proposed as he drained his cup, raising a brow towards the smaller male. Sal looked up and nodded with a tiny shrug, “Yeah, sound’s good. It’s not like I have work or anything…” He sighed before getting up with Larry, offering the taller man his smoothie.

Larry happily accepted.

 

“Shit, shit, shit, SHIT, SHIT! SHIT! SHIT!!!” Larry exclaimed, nearly throwing his game controller down in the process. Sal was curled up in a bean bag next to Lar, watching the brunette try to play a round of ‘Clumpy!’.

“Dude, it’s not that hard. There’s a pattern to it, with the timing of when you swing your sword and stuff.”

“Silence, fool. If you’re so smart then why didn’t you win the last ten rounds you tried to play this game?” Larry questioned with a smirk, flinching as Sal playfully punched his arm.

“I can’t see as well as you can, I have a mask,”  _ ‘and a false eye’  _ he added mentally to himself. He slumped forward slightly, “Man I hate this mask. I wouldn’t have had it if I had just… Waited for my dad first.”

Larry raised a brow and paused the game, “What d'ya mean, dude?”

“It was a dog-” Sal blurted softly, “I-I mean, when I was three, my mother and I were in a park for a picnic, waiting on my dad. There was this dog and I really wanted to see it, so I begged and begged my mom until she finally said okay, even though she wanted to wait for my dad first. Well, we went a-and it-” He froze up and his breathing turned harsh as tears pricked his eyes. He dug his nails into the bean bag, his small frame shaking as he curled within himself even more. Larry dropped his controller and was immediately by the other’s side, reaching out. He paused, not sure if he should try to physically comfort Sal, afraid if it would make the situation worse.

    “Hey, my man, it’s okay. You’re okay,” Larry tried in a soft voice, giving in on his instincts and drawing Sal close with his arms, cupping the boy close to his chest in a hug. Sal pressed himself into Larry as a sorrowful and fearful cry escaped him, his body shaking with every uneven breath he took. Larry began to stroke his blue locks, “Shh, you’re okay. You’re safe here, I’m here. I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

 

    They sat with each other for ten minutes, even after Sal had stopped crying and calmed himself down. Sal was the one to break the silence.

    “I’m sorry for getting your shirt wet…” He sniffled.

    Larry smiled fondly down at the smaller man, “Dude, don’t worry about it. I have tons of shirts.” He let Sal pull away from him and stood up as the other did. An idea came into his head and he gently took Sal’s hand in his.

    “Well, we’ve known each other for a while now. I have to show you something,” He turned around and grabbed a red jacket from his coat rack, looking back at Sal, “come on.”

 

    The bluenette followed curiously as they marched up the steps and out the back of the apartments. Sal’s eyes widened, “Whoa! How come you never told me about this?”

“It’s where I go when I need to be alone,” Larry shrugged, “it’s my fortress of solitude.”

“Awesome,” Sal grinned under his mask, following Larry up the ladder and into the treehouse. It seemed well kept and furnished like a room you’d see inside- except for a bed. “This is so cool! I always wanted a tree house when I was younger.”

Larry cracked a smile, “Yeah. My dad built this for me before he…” The man chewed his bottom lip softly, remembering the last day he ever saw his father, “disappeared.”

Sal looked up at this, “Wait, what?” He cocked his head, eyes squinting, “What do you mean, “disappeared”?”

“One day he was here and everything was okay and the next day he was just gone. No note, no nothing. And all of his things were still here,” The brunette gestured around the house, “His clothes, his tools, his wallet, his driver’s license… everything. He just disappeared.”

Sal’s lips fell into a gentle frown, “Damn. I’m so sorry, Larry. I know how hard that is. Did your parents not get along?”

Larry thought back on his parents, “No, my parents loved each other. They hardly even fought or anything. It isn’t what it sounds like. My dad didn’t leave us. Even if that’s what my mom chose to believe. I know he wouldn’t ever leave us like that. He loved us.”

“I believe you. So what do you think happened?” Sal asked, stuffing his hands in his pockets as a breeze blew through the window.

Larry sighed, “Look. You know I’m not generally superstitious. Well, I think it’s something else.”

The other man leaned forward a bit, “Like what?”

“I haven’t told many people about this, but I know I can trust you, Sal. I know you won’t judge me,” He said as he fiddled with his jacket zipper, watching the other man nod. “Of course not.”

He took a deep breath, like an inward sigh, “The day before he disappeared, I did something I’m not too proud of. My parents got some firecrackers and they told me so many times to wait for them. Not to play with them on my own. But I just couldn’t resist, dude. I lit a few out back and one ended up in Mrs. Gibson’s open window. It killed her pet rabbit.”

Sal winced, “Oh, man. That’s rough.”

Larry huffed, “Yeah. So, I ran to check on Mrs. Gibson and she was screaming at me like crazy. As if I needed another reason to piss off that old bag. I felt horrible, though. That poor bunny. Anyway, as I was coming down in the elevator, that’s when I just… assumed I was cursed or something. Everything in my life was fucked after that. My dad disappeared. My mom stopped talking for a while. I had to spend two weeks in juvy for accidentally killing that rabbit. My bike got stolen. I missed so much school I had to take summer classes. It’s been one bad thing after the next. Ever since then, horrible things have happened to me or around me.”

Sal stood there speechless as he stared at Larry, wishing he had brought a tape recorder with him. He wet his lips before he spoke, “So you think this curse took your dad away?”

“I know how it sounds but I know it’s true. It’s all my fault. My dad. The Rabbit. Mrs. Sanderson. Everything-”

“Whoa, hold on, man. Even if there is some kind of curse on you, you can’t blame yourself for every bad thing that happens,” Sal placed a hand on Larry’s shoulder, his heart pounding at the simple contact. The taller man gasped softly at the touch, looking down at Sal and straight into his blue eye. He felt a rush in his chest before the smaller man spoke again, “It’s not all your fault.”

 


	10. Yellow Yews

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ew, this is short and rushed. I literally mashed this together in 20 minutes because I felt bad that I wasn't updating. I apologize for that by the way :( Depression sucks major buttcheeks.

“Can I paint you?” 

 

Sal stared at Larry as he hung up his jacket on the coat rack. He accidentally chuckled in disbelief, thinking that the other man had been joking, but the expression on Larry’s face begged to differ.

“You get commissioned to make a horror movie poster or something?” Sal asked, trying to laugh off his own self disgust. Larry rolled his eyes and put a hand on the bluenette’s shoulders, “No, dude, I just think it’ll be cool. For aesthetics, or something.”

“Aesthetics?” Sal raised a brow and unclipped the bottom strap of his mask to reveal his scarred mouth, “you think his mess is aesthetic worthy?”

The artist sighed and lifted the mask away from Sal before the shorter man could protest. He smiled softly and patted his bed next to his canvas, “Just let me get at least a rough sketch? It won’t take too long, I promise, man.” He moved to sit down on his stool to prepare his paints.

Sal blinked slowly, reaching up to touch the right side of his face. He blushed furiously at the thought that he was going to be drawn in just a few moments. Hell, he blushed mainly because he was standing there with his nude face in front of Larry. After regaining his composure before the other can notice, he sat down on the bed and brushed his hands through his pigtails. Larry turned to face him, peeking out from behind his canvas as the sound of pencil scratching against the surface signalled that he had begun. Sal didn’t know what to do with his hands, which awkwardly fumbled one another in his lap as he tried to keep a decent expression. “D-Do you want me to do anything specific?” He asked, trying not to bite his lip.

“Nah, you’re fine just like that,” Larry hummed as he looked over at the maskless boy another time, “you okay if I play some music?”

Sal nodded slightly as Larry pushed away from his stool and striding over to his player. The brunette grinned as a familiar drum beat filled the room before he sat down in his stool again. He leaned closer to his canvas to rough out a few details, mouthing absent-mindedly to himself.

 

_     “I met someone that makes me feel seasick,” _

 

Sal couldn’t help but feel his foot tap along to the even beats, humming softly as he watched Larry sketch him out.

 

_     “Oh what a skill to have, oh what a skill- To have so many skills that make her distinctive.” _

 

The florist couldn’t help but notice that Larry had mouthed ‘him’ instead of ‘her’. He kept it to himself, of course, sitting as still as he could before his phone suddenly buzzed.

    Larry looked over at Sal and nodded, “You can take it, it won’t bother me.” Sal returned the nod as he fished his phone from his pocket and stare blankly at the unknown number for a moment. He frowned slightly and answered, “Yeah?”

    “S-Sal? Hi, it-it’s Travis.”

    His brows knitted together in confusion and slight frustration, “How’d you get this number?”

    “The phone number in front of your store. Look, before you hang up or anything, just let me explain.”

    “Shoot.”

    “Can you meet me at the cafe? I feel like this should be done… Formally? I feel like a total dickhead if I just do this over the phone.”

    Larry looked over and raised a brow as Sal sighed, “Mhm, sure. The one across my shop? Ok. Sure. See you there.”

 

    “Stacy?” Larry questioned as he chewed gently on the end of his pencil, staring deeply at his canvas.

    “Uh, no. Someone just wants to meet up. Is it okay if I?-”

    Larry smiled, “Yeah, go ahead. I can finish this up, I already got all the important details down anyways. I’ll see you later, yeah?”

    Sal smiled back as he grabbed his prosthetic and strapped it on, pushing himself off the bed, “Totally, dude. Later.”

 

Sal walked into the cafe for the second time that day, the same place where he got his smoothie earlier. His blue eye darted around before landing on a certain blonde haired boy who was hunched over in one of the booths. He walked over and tensed up a bit as the other noticed him, looking up. Travis offered a shy smile, which caught Sal off guard. 

He slid into the booth, sitting across from the other man, “So, what did you want to formally address to me?”

Travis’ smile faltered, “Oh- I just… I wanted to apologize.”

Sal softened up a bit as he cocked his head to the side, pigtails flopping over from gravity, “What a gentleman,” He joked lightly, causing Travis to chuckle a bit. “I know I punched you and stuff and also made a scene at the restaurant- But I just have these issues a-and I shouldn’t have been an asshole like that.”

“So you decided to creepily figure out where I worked at to call me just so you could apologize?” Sal asked with an amused tone.

Travis ducked his head in embarrassment, “Don’t word it like that, you’re making me seem like a stalker. And yes, I did. I just felt so bad, and as much as I dislike Johnson, it didn’t mean I could just lash out on you. Besides, you seem like a sweet guy.”

Sal giggled softly, “Um, thanks, I guess. You don’t seem so bad yourself, considering you did give me a nasty bruise from the party.” 

The blonde whimpered guiltily, “Can I make it up to you? I know about what’s going on with your shop. The place I work at is going under new management because of Red Eyes and it hasn’t exactly been fun so I kinda get why you’re all worked up about it…” He drifted off nervously, a boney hand reaching up to scratch the back of his neck, “Maybe I can help you take your mind off of it? You like book clubs?-”

Sal grinned under his mask, “You don’t get out a lot, do you, Travis?” He held back a laugh, “How about we go to a festival together? You seem like you can get some social time on you, and besides, it’s one of my favorite times of the year. It’s this weekend, I can meet you here and we can walk there together.”

Travis’ face flushed softly at the suggestion, to which he simply smiled and nodded, “Ye-Yeah, sure. A festival. Sure, sounds like a plan.”

Sal clapped his hands together, “Great! As long as you don’t punch me again, I think we’ll be on good terms. See you?”

“Mhm! See you later, S-Sal.”

 


	11. A/N

(This chapter will be deleted upon the next update.)  
It's been a while since I've updated, but lately I've been extremely busy with juggling two jobs and summer homework. I'm trying to find the time to write, but I just can't most of the times.  
I'm not giving up on this fic in any way, I'm just saying that there might be a long wait in between chapters.   
Thank you for all of you who have been reading this story so far <3


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